


Mother's Day

by KSilverland



Series: Xander Ryder [1]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Comfort, F/F, Loss, Mother's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 21:49:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10930701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KSilverland/pseuds/KSilverland
Summary: It's an old Earth holiday, but Ryder finds herself lingering at her mother's pod all the same, visiting while she can.





	Mother's Day

**Author's Note:**

> Set post end-game, featuring Xander Ryder. Some cute, Vetra looking after Ryder, who's struggling with Ellen being alive, but not accessible.

Mother’s Day. By certain Earth calendars, it was the second Sunday in May, but they don’t know if Earth is even still there, after everything in Alec Ryder’s logs. It was a strange sort of holiday anyway. All the same, Xander found herself sitting in front of her mother’s cryo pod well into the Hyperion’s night cycle, just talking. Adam had left after the first few hours (Harry wouldn’t leave him be about setting up a regular sleep cycle, he’d be back in the morning), and Gods knew she had other things that needed doing, but… she lingered. The words had given out about an hour ago, and she just watched the pod. Wondered if she’d be older than her mother by the time they found a cure and woke her up.

“Hey Ryder.”

Xander’s gaze flicked from her mother’s pod to her unexpected guest as she half stood from her perch on an unused pod. “Vetra. Hey.”

“Adam said I could find you here. Mentioned it was an old earth holiday, celebrating mothers.”

Xander shifted and dropped her gaze from her turian girlfriend to the floor between them. “Yeah. Just...didn’t feel right, not visiting today. Since we were here, and all.”

Vetra shifted, her hands clenching and unclenching. “Can I join you?”

Ryder blinked at her. “Sure.”

Vetra folded herself down beside Ryder, as Ryder gracelessly flopped back onto the pod and pulled her knees to her chest. Their shoulders brushed, and Xander leaned into the contact, grateful for Vetra’s warmth.

“Any luck with a cure yet?” Vetra bumped her shoulder against Xander’s as she shook her head.

“Not yet. Too soon, especially after Meridian.”

The turian woman hummed softly and draped an arm around Xander’s shoulders. Xander eagerly acquiesced to the contact, curling into Vetra’s side. “You alright?”

“Not really.”

“Tell me about her.” Vetra jerked her chin towards the cryo pod across from them. “Your mom.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Xander blinked up at her, her brow creased. “I...I’m not sure what to talk about. She was an engineer in biotics, working with implants.”

“Damn good at it, from what I hear.”

Xander nodded. “She was. Helped my father with the SAM implants.”

“And at home?”

She paused. “...She was married to her work, but tried to make time for Adam and I. Family dinners were her favorite.” A wry grin curved Xander’s lips as she launched into the story of how she and Adam coerced their mother into keeping a dog they had found coming home from school on Earth. Her mother had been bright, furious at the time, but ended up more attached to that dog than even they had been. It was a favorite memory, and it eased the tight knot of loss in her chest to talk about it. To watch Vetra’s green-gold eyes light up with mirth, to listen to her chuckle. To feel her laughter against her side.

“Mom would’ve--will love you.”

“Oh?”

“She will. I think the two of you will get along.”

Vetra’s mandibles flicked. “I...look forward to meeting her, one day.”

Xander leaned up and stole a kiss, her lips pressed to Vetra’s mouthplates. “Me too.”


End file.
